Demon's Knocking at my Door
by La Mort Kage
Summary: I own nothing. Joey is dead. So why have Mokuba and Kaiba been receiving messages and seeing someone who looks like Joey?
1. I

He watched as they screamed silently. He watched as children were thrown into the furnace to warm this world of his own. He watched as the women and men were slaughtered, because they were undeserving to remain alive. He watched all this pass by in a panorama that still amazed him, though he'd been here for many years.  
  
How many? He could not remember. Why was he here? It did not matter anymore. He knew that soon his master would be coming. He said earlier that he had a special treat today, just for him. He liked treats. He liked his master. His master beat him and made sure he stayed chained to the rock overlooking the pit. His master was kind compared to others. He loved his master.  
  
He watched unfeelingly as a child resembling his younger sister was thrown into the pit, followed by a woman that looked like his mother. They should be happy. They had come to paradise.  
  
The child was torn, kicking and screaming away, calling for her mother and her brother. His name. It was his name she called. He watched with tired eyes as the demons dragged her to the furnace and threw her in.  
  
"Shizuka." He whispered, his voice cracking from little use. He listened to her final shrieks, until there was only a hissing, sizzling sound coming from her burnt corpse. He watched as his mother was dragged bodily to the feeding pits where the demons resting waited for their meals. He closed his eyes and listened to her screams of horror and pain mingle with the hundreds of others which were a constant serenade to the young man.  
  
"Jou," His master called to him, and he opened his eyes, looking up at his master with joy in his heart. The cold, black leather clad man unlocked the chains from his arms. He watched as the metal clattered to the ground. The master motioned for him to rise, and he did, as steady as though he hadn't spent years in that kneeling position.  
  
The master led him down the lightly sloping hill and down to where the gates awaited those just arriving in this world. This beautiful paradise. He was led past the gates, and out into the tunnel. It was dark, the only light coming from the paradise he had left. He noticed there was a boy standing nearby, with odd coloured hair. A yellow colour, one he hadn't seen before in his long undead life in the red lit paradise.  
  
The boy watched them approach warily and recoiled at the sight of him. He looked to his master with open curiosity. But he had forgotten, his master didn't like that. Whipping his hand back, the master lashed out at him, causing a red welt to rise under his right eye and for him to stumble towards the golden haired boy.  
  
"I'm sorry master." He apologized, moving to put one of his clawed hands to his face. The blonde boy looked at him in surprise.  
  
"Are you going to let him do that to you?!" He asked, outraged. He watched him calmly and felt the welt disappear underneath his fingers. Nodding slowly, he looked over the young man. He had a defiant look in his honey- brown eyes that screamed of the living. His eyes widened in shock. This boy was still alive! He turned to his master, face carefully blank. His master nodded and the blonde boy looked between them, taking a few steps back. He moved forward and touched the blonde boy's face and watched as he moved back a few more paces.  
  
He was excited. After all the time waiting, he could go back! He offered the boy his hand. The blonde looked at it, but noticing the hopeful look in his eyes, took it.  
  
"You will take his life and go back to haunt the living realm. Do not disappoint me." The master said, and the blonde jerked as if he was struck. Slowly, he started to vanish. The blonde tried to loosen his grip, but it was pointless. A demon is far too strong for a human to beat off.  
  
He could feel himself disappearing, and smiled at the blonde. But he growled and screamed a foul word into his face. Then they were both gone.  
  
)~(~)~(  
  
Kaiba lay in bed, wide awake. It was so dark, he couldn't tell if he was blinking or not. He couldn't sleep for some reason. It wasn't that that stupid mutt was dead, no, he didn't care enough about that to even go to his funeral. What did it matter anyway?  
  
Scritch… Scritch… Scritch…  
  
What was that? It sounded like it was coming from the adjoining bathroom. Kaiba threw the sheets off of his body and swung his feet over onto the floor. Feeling the soft, plush carpet under his feet relaxed him slightly. His analitical mind took over and he decided that Mokuba was trying to pull a trick on him.  
  
Moving swiftly across the room, he paused as he heard more noises coming from the other side of the door.  
  
Scritch… Schrrrrreeeeeeee… Schrrrreeeee… Scritch… Schrrrreeeeee… Scritch…  
  
It sounded like nails being run over a chalkboard. He walked slowly forward and rested his hand on the doorknob. The noises stopped. Kaiba lifted his hand from the doorknob and the scratches started again.  
  
Kaiba quickly decided what to do. Grabbing the doorknob quickly and turning it, he threw it open. Kaiba's smirk quickly faded as he saw there was no one in the bathroom. Letting go of the door, he walked in a few paces and stopped. The scratching noise was happening again, right behind him.  
  
Kaiba turned around to face the miror and froze. He saw his face turn ashen and pale. There were words scratched on the miror's surface.  
  
Have you forgotten me? I'm still here Kaiba.  
  
Kaiba stared at the words befor realizing he was falling for Mokuba's little joke. He chuckled slightly and turned to leave. Exiting the bathroom, Kaiba went back to his bed and was about to lie down, when a scream split through the quiet of the mansion.  
  
'Mokuba!' Was his first thought, and he ran out of the room to check on his little brother. Don the hallway and to the right, Kaiba almost ran over Mokuba, who was tearing away from his room as fast as he could.  
  
Mokuba put a death grip on his older brother as Seto leaned down to find out what had happened. Tears were running down the boy's face as he sobbed into his brother's chest, yelling out disjointed sentances.  
  
"There was… and then he… and blood… standing there… on the walls… so scared… dripping… don't make me go back!" Kaiba just held his little brother, trying too make sense of his ramblings. So far, there was a man in Mokuba's room, he was injured badly so that he was dripping blood. But the part about the walls?  
  
"Mokuba, calm down. Breathe. Now tell me, what happened?" He asked, loosening the death grip and walking slowly with Mokuba back towards his room. Mokuba wiped the tears from his eyes fiercely as they walked, hiccuping slightly.  
  
"I was sleeping, and all of a sudden, I was awake. There was this scratching noise, like someone writing with a pen? Then I turned over to see what it was, and there was this guy standing with his back to me. It was too dark to see properly, but he was writing something on the walls. I couldn't even move I was so scared! Then, all of a sudden, he stops writing and turns around. For a while he just stared at me, then he turned and walked over to the window. I was hardly breathing. Then, oh Seto, then he opened the curtains and he disappeared, but I saw him, and…." Mokuba trailed off. They had arrived at his bedroom.  
  
Mokuba whimpered and looked up at Kaiba. "Please don't go in there big brother." He begged. Kaiba nodded and pushed open the door with his foot. He gaped at the sight and pulled Mokuba behind him so he wouldn't see. But it was too late for that. Kaiba kneeled down and hugged his brother tightly, all the while staring at the wall to the left of the door.  
  
The light from the window poured in and illuminated the dark letters writen there. Kaiba noticed it was still dripping, and could smell blood in the air. The letters writen gleamed against the light blue wall.  
  
Have you fogotten me? I'm still here Kaiba.  
  
Kaiba wrenched his gaze away from the wall and looked down at his crying little brother.  
  
"Mokuba, who did this?" He asked firmly. Mokuba tried to stifle his sobs long enough to answer. When he could make himself cohearant, he managed to spit out the name.  
  
"Joey." He blurted, then started sobbing again. 


	2. II

Kaiba answered his phone on the polished oak desk, which also belonged to the CEO. He listened to the person on the other end of the line, and his frown became more and more pronounced the more he heard. Suddenly, the person on the other end said something Kaiba evidently didn't want to hear, because he sat up straight and cursed loudly.  
  
"Let me get this straight. You ripped out the wall in my brother's room and put a new one in. You went out to get rid of the old wall, and when you came back, it had fresh blood on it? And the same thing with the mirror?! This is insane!" He leaned back and closed his eyes, listening to what the person on the other end of the line was saying once again.  
  
"Yes, yes. no, that isn't necessary. A what?! Ghost? Do you really think I'm that gullible? Listen, clear out. I'll get someone else to do the job." And he hung up furiously. Putting his head in his hands, he groaned in the solitude of his office. But he wasn't alone.  
  
Someone had slipped in just before his little outburst, and was now waiting for the teen to notice him. He cleared his throat and was pleased with the way Kaiba's neck jerked up and a look of surprise that quickly turned to indifference.  
  
"What to you want 'Yuugi'?" He asked turning his attention to one of the folders on his desk. Yami smirked. So, Kaiba wasn't that blind. He was still having convincing Tristen, never mind Joey-  
  
He cut that thought off there, and replaced his smirk with a blank face. Walking slowly up to the desk, he could see the plans on the desk were for some new type of machine, maybe a duel disk, he couldn't tell.  
  
"Kaiba. Yuugi's been worried about you. To tell the truth, I'm a little concerned myself. You haven't been acting like yourself lately." Kaiba tensed but didn't move his eyes from the pages of his work.  
  
"And I think that one sided conversation explains quite well. What happened?" He asked. Kaiba stopped moving his eyes in an attempt to look like he was reading. He stood slowly and looked down at the shorter teen. He shook his head and motioned for him to get a chair from the ones long the wall.  
  
As he did, Kaiba seemed to run out of strength, and slumped down into his own chair. When Yami returned and sat down, Kaiba straightened and looked across the table at the ex-pharaoh.  
  
"I don't know why I'm telling you this, most likely because you were such a good friend to that d- Joey." Yami noticed the way Kaiba called Joey by his real name. This must be important, but what would it have to do with Joey?  
  
"Last night, I was lying awake in bed. Don't ask why, I don't know. I remember hearing a scratching noise coming from my bathroom. I got up to check it out, I figured it was Mokuba trying to play a trick on me. But as soon as I touched the door handle, the scratching stopped. I let go of the handle, and I heard the noise again."  
  
"Now I was sure it was Mokuba. All the servants have their quarters on the main floor, and no one could go into my bathroom without going through my room. So I quickly threw the door open and went inside."  
  
"As soon as I let go of the door, the scratching started again. I turned around just as it stopped. And on the mirror, there was written, 'Have you forgotten me? I'm still here Kaiba.'"  
  
Yami was quiet for a while and both men thought about what had happened. Kaiba was thinking to himself that it sounded like a bad ghost story.  
  
'But what if it is?' A small voice whispered to him. He jumped in his seat slightly, just as all the lights in the city turned out. Both men stood and looked at each other across the nearly invisible desk.  
  
"Did you hear that too?" Yami asked. Kaiba nodded slightly, looking around to try and see where it was coming from.  
  
'Have you forgotten me? I'm still here Kaiba.'  
  
The nameless voice whispered, and all the lights came back on. Kaiba glared over at Yami. Yami realized what Kaiba was thinking and crossed his arms defiantly.  
  
"Oh no, that didn't sound a thing like me Kaiba. I don't know where that voice came from any more than you do." Kaiba glared anyway, needing something to be mad at.  
  
"And you forgot, there was a wall being ripped out mentioned? What is that about?" Kaiba's anger came out of him very quickly. He moved the extra chair over back to its original position. His back was still turned when he answered.  
  
"You won't believe me unless I show you myself. It's at my mansion. Follow me." And they both walked out in silence.  
  
The empty room didn't move, but for one figure sitting on the desk. One figure only the dead could see. And it explained why Yami was suddenly so interested in Kaiba's well being. And for very good reasons.  
  
Jou was panting hard. It was difficult to turn out the lights in one house, but the city was just for show. And to talk to the two while maintaining the blackout, Jou was nearly spent. But he had done it. Another friend knew about him. He had completed the second stage. Jou grinned through his pants.  
  
And the one with odd hair could see me. That means he'll think his friend is a demon now. My master will be so proud.  
  
)~(  
  
LMK: That's all for now. Pretty pathetic, but I don't really care. 


	3. III

Ryou loved the taste of tea. Particularly chamomile, but right now Red Rose would suit him fine. He was alone in his house, as he often was, and he was enjoying it. No one to whisper distracting things in his ear, and certainly no one to try to kill the fish in the middle of the night because they were hungry.  
  
Ryou was just sitting down to finish his second cup when the doorbell rang. He looked up curiously, but shrugged and put his book on botany down in favor of answering whoever it was that wanted to see him.  
  
He unlocked the two deadbolts and the handle of the door before swinging it open as far as the chain lock would allow. "Yes, how can I help you?" He asked, taking another sip from his mug before sticking his head out so that he could see.  
  
"Bakura, would you let us in please?" Yami asked, and Ryou blinked as he realized that it was a very disgruntled Seto Kaiba that was standing behind him. "We- **I** need your help." He corrected when Kaiba gave him a nudge in the back.  
  
Ryou blinked and closed the door, unlocking the chain lock on the door and opening it all the way. The two young men entered and Ryou closed and fully locked the door behind them. He noticed that Kaiba was looking at the locks strangely. "Habit." Ryou explained before taking a gulp from his mug and led them into the living room.  
  
"So, what can I help you with? Can I get you a cup of tea?" He asked, letting the two chose a place to sit on either the couch or the armchair. Yami shook his head, but Kaiba nodded so Ryou walked to the kitchen to make up another mug.  
  
When he got back, he set the mug, sugar and cream down in front of Kaiba, noticing that he was looking at his botany book. Ryou said nothing, but sat down on the couch again next to Yami with his mug held tight in one hand.  
  
"I'm assuming that this isn't just a visit to say hello. What's gone wrong this time?" He asked, curious and cautious at the same time. Yami looked over at Kaiba, but the brunette was drinking from the mug and wouldn't answer. Yami sighed and realized that Kaiba really didn't want to be here.  
  
"There is an entity shadowing Kaiba, and I'm worried that it may be malevolent. I know that you have quite a bit of interest in the occult Bakura, and I was hoping that you could help **us** determine what this spirit wants." Kaiba sent a sidelong glare which Yami neatly parried and ignored.  
  
Ryou sipped pensively from his cup, then looked over towards the stairs. "Well, we could try the Ouiji Board. I've been able to talk to spirits before, if you want to." He offered, putting his cup down on the coffee table carefully. Kaiba sighed looking over at some picture of Ryou when he was young.  
  
"Thank you Bakura, we would be most thankful if you could try." Ryou shrugged and let the room to head upstairs, supposedly to get the Ouiji Board. Kaiba stared at Yami as though he was an idiot, but the dark spirit ignored it.  
  
Ryou bounced down the stairs happily, the ornate Board in hand. He rushed off the small layer of dust and placed it carefully down on the coffee table. It looked old, and valuable. There were small inlays of gold and the black ebony wood that formed the letters, numbers and Yes or No were tastefully and artfully done.  
  
"I haven't used it in forever, but it's not that hard." He said, sliding a small drawer open on the side and taking out a large ivory triangle that had the edges rounded off. "So, shall we do it the right way, or the safe way?" He asked, placing the ivory triangle down in between the Yes and No.  
  
Kaiba was just about to say the safe way, but then he realized that that would make him seem like a coward in front of his rival, and he knew that he couldn't do that. His pride was damaged enough. "The right way." He said, looking over at Yami to see the smirk of victory on his face. He realized that Yami hadn't spoken up so that he would have to agree to this himself, and that he wouldn't bail out at the last second.  
  
"Alright then, I'll have to go get the candles." Ryou said to himself, standing up again and going off somewhere else in the house. Kaiba glared at Yami, ignoring the little scraping noise that was coming from the coffee table.  
  
When Ryou got back, Kaiba realized how much of a mistake he'd made. Ryou was carrying five large black candles, already having been lit at some time or another, each having a five pointed silver star on the front of each one. Ryou set these evenly spaced around the Ouiji Board and lit them with a black lighter that had the same silver star symbol as the candles.  
  
Ryou got up, presumably to turn out the lights, when they turned off on their own. Ryou walked over to the light switch and flicked it a few times, but nothing happened. "Must be a power outage. Oh well, this works in our advantage." He said, secretly cheerful that it seemed that some other force was already with them. He sat down on the floor, kneeling next to the coffee table and the other two joined him at his command.  
  
Ryou placed the tip of his fingers on one of the corners of the chillingly white ivory and the others did the same. "Is someone not of the living in the room with us?" Ryou asked, keeping all of his concentration on the little triangle of white. It jerked suddenly, but Ryou could tell that it was Kaiba moving accidentally.  
  
"Is anyone not of the living in the room with us?" He asked again, and this time it began to move on its own. He could feel the force coming from directly opposite himself, and he knew that Yami was on his left at an angle, and the same with Kaiba on his right. He looked up just to verify it, and it was true, there was no one sitting opposite as it was pulled onto the 'Yes'.  
  
"Are you the one who has been following Kaiba?" Yami asked, though Kaiba looked ready to stand up and leave. Their hands didn't move from the 'Yes', and Ryou smiled. They were making progress.  
  
"Why have you been following Kaiba?" He asked, and for a moment or two, nothing moved. Ryou asked his question again, but they got no reply. Kaiba removed his fingers from the board and snorted, and Yami removed his hand a few seconds later. Finally, after the fourth time of asking it, Ryou took his fingers off the board, wondering what he'd done wrong.  
  
Kaiba was just about to make a comment, when the rare and expensive triangle began to move. Kaiba took a quick look under the table, but there were no magnets to be seen. Yami was staring, wide eyed in disbelief at the air across from Ryou.  
  
"H... E... H... A... S... F... O... R... G... O... T... T... E... N... M... E.... He has forgotten me? Has he forgotten you?" Ryou asked for confirmation. It moved once more to 'Yes' and stopped.  
  
"Who are you?!" Kaiba demanded, angry as hell and ready to crush Ryou's neck for pulling a trick like this. Nothing moved for a moment, 

then, slowly, achingly slow, it moved to a single letter. Kaiba stared for a moment, then leveled an all out Death Glare at Ryou. "If this is some kind of sick joke...."

He was distracted from threatening Ryou when the planchette swung almost deadly fast over to the 'No'. Ryou leaned backwards slightly, grabbing a camera from a desk drawer. Quickly, he leveled it and snapped a picture. There was a slightly vibration in the air, and Ryou toppled over backwards, clutching at his throat.

Several of the candles bounced around when Ryou kicked the table by accident while he was thrashing around, and Kaiba quickly grabbed them and extinguished those that were in danger of starting a fire. Yami had quickly jumped up to Ryou's side, but he was unable to see what it was that was attacking Ryou, and stood helplessly by while Ryou tried to gasp for air.

The Puzzle began to glow ominously, and the Ring gave a sudden flash of light. Suddenly, there was another, much more visible spirit in the room. The dark spirit of the Ring grabbed something and flung it off Ryou, then jumped after it, attacking it where they landed on the floor.

Yami Bakura cursed several times, and Kaiba was quite preoccupied trying to tell which way the fight was going. Suddenly, Yami Bakura went flying across the room and into the stairs, landing with a frightful crash and a few cracks from his back and head. Yami stood in front of Ryou, hoping to be of at least some protection now that he couldn't at least see the entity.

However, the planchette shuddered on the board to 'Goodbye', and the lights flickered on again. Ryou crawled over to the ghostlike form of his Yami, afraid that he'd been hurt badly during his fight. Yami Bakura had slumped down the stairs and was sitting, almost reclining, against the carpeted corners.

"Yami, Yami, are you going to be alright?" Ryou croaked fearfully, laying a hand his Yami's arm. Yami Yugi watched the scene for a moment, wondering how Yami Bakura had managed to get inside his Puzzle without his knowing.

Kaiba was blowing out the remaining candles, and then walked over to the doorway of the living room. Yami Bakura was slowly waking up, a few choice curses on his lips as he regained control of his senses.

"You damn, foolish, useless lump of flesh. Why is it that every time you get into trouble, I have to come and save you? Stupid son of a jackal and a camel." He muttered, trying to stand up. Ryou ignored the curses and helped his Yami to his feet. "Well Kaiba, you picked a great spirit to anger." He retorted, and Kaiba let out a mild, curious glare that would've killed someone with heart problems.

"You got a demon following you Kaiba. Unless you figure out what it wants with you, it's gonna haunt you for the rest of your life." Kaiba didn't look too perturbed about the idea, so Yami Bakura decided to enlighten the stupid mortal.

"You know those people who go around walking the streets talking to themselves? Those are the ones with the lesser demons. And, judging from the fact that your demon threw me over here like a piece of paper, you're gonna kill yourself within days to get rid of the torment." Yami Bakura grinned at the prospect like he was the one who would get to kill Kaiba, though he really didn't look like he could handle it at the moment. Ugly bruises were starting to show on the surface of his skin, most dark purple or black.

Yami Bakura, tired with his game of 'Bait Kaiba', reached out and grabbed the Ring, pulling himself inside the familiar metal, leaving the mortals to figure out what they were going to do next.

* * *

LMK: That's it.

* * *

Zatken: I fixed it.

Split Persona: I'm glad my summary was good for something. I have done more. I do not know if you have read it though.

Delta V: Thank you, but I cannot show you a picture. I'm sure you could imagine it though. And I have obviously continued. But I do not know if you have read it or not.

BlackScarab: I have continued. I do not know if you have read my continuation though.

Shadowy Fluffball: If you have nothing to say, do not say anything at all. I will obviously continue, but that is no reason to give me pointless reviews. It is annoying. By the way, I continued.

Excel9732: I have continued, obviously. Why is it that people do not think that I will continue unless they repeat it dozens of times? It's annoying and a waste of a review.

TIMSBABE: An interesting name. I have a question for you. What does 'this is really goD!!' mean? By the way, I have continued. You didn't need to worry about it.


End file.
